Chapter 84: Purple...
Enjoy~~~
"Why me?"
That question had always lingered in the darkest corners of Ren's mind ever since he regained the memories of his previous life. Why did he possess this mysterious "System"? Why did he have this terrifying talent that surpassed all logic? Why was he chosen to carry a power that crushed the laws of this world?
The question had always remained unanswered, a heavy burden accompanying him through every battle and every step.
But…
The moment the massive wooden door shattered before him, and he saw that being standing at the end of the dark corridor, every question disappeared. Every doubt vanished.
At that moment, Ren understood the answer.
Every cell in his body, every drop of blood flowing through his veins, every fragment of his human and demonic soul screamed with one voice, with a primitive instinct beyond argument:
"Kill him!!"
"No matter the era or the place… Demon Slayers will always remain the most irritating and disgusting creatures."
That being spoke with deadly coldness.
"Kibutsuji Muzan" stood there with an arrogant smile, calm as if he were a higher existence, a ruler walking among insects, entitled to trample over all humans without the slightest hesitation.
"KIBUTSUJI MUZAAAAAN!!"
Behind Ren, a roar that tore through throats echoed violently.
Kamado Tanjiro had finally caught up after rushing through the debris, and the instant his eyes landed on the man standing ahead—the one who slaughtered his family and turned his sister into a demon—he screamed from the depths of his heart with pure hatred that seemed to scorch the air itself.
If hatred alone could kill demons, Muzan would have died millions of times in that instant.
"Another annoying insect… well, it doesn't matter," Muzan said indifferently as he slowly turned around and began walking deeper into the darkness.
"Stop!" Tanjiro shouted as he lunged forward, but Ren's hand shot out and grabbed him firmly, stopping him in place.
Ren silently stared at Muzan's back, his mind moving at lightning speed.
After killing Kokushibo, Ren had immediately rushed toward Muzan's aura, ordering the others to remain close to Yushiro, who currently possessed Daki's head and Nakime's body.
The ideal plan was simple:
Ren would continue fighting Muzan here, deep within the Infinity Castle, exhausting him until sunrise approached. Then Yushiro would bring all the Hashira, the fighters, and Muzan himself to the surface so the morning sun could burn him alive.
But…
Muzan's calm, steady behavior wasn't natural.
Ren frowned, and suddenly his eyes widened with realization.
"So that's it… this was a trap from the very beginning. That's why so many humans have been disappearing across Japan lately without any traces of ordinary demon killings…"
"Muzan, you damned bastard!" Ren growled with endless fury, his aura blazing with rage.
Muzan slowly turned back, revealing a wide demonic grin filled with fangs.
"Your greatest mistake was believing some lowly demon and rebellious subordinate could stop me from controlling my own castle. This castle has become a cramped prison… so why don't we go outside and enjoy some fresh air instead?"
Ren's expression darkened.
Immediately, he leapt backward, carrying the charging Tanjiro with one arm while tightening his hold on Eri clinging to his back.
. . .
Elsewhere inside the castle…
Yushiro, Tokito, and Hakuji surrounded Nakime's body while the unconscious Zenitsuchiro lay behind them.
"Damn it!" Yushiro suddenly shouted as blood streamed from his eyes and nose. "Muzan… he's invading my consciousness! He's controlling her!"
Time nearly froze.
At that moment, far away, Muzan closed his eyes. His presence partially faded as he focused all his consciousness on Nakime, issuing her a final command that allowed no disobedience:
"Bring everything to the surface… now!"
Yushiro realized the disaster instantly.
In a desperate motion, he stabbed his poisoned dagger into Nakime's head to interrupt the technique.
But…
It was already too late.
.
In the outside world…
Under a clear night sky illuminated by a full, ominous moon, there stood a large village that had once been filled with life.
BOOOOOOOOM!
A sudden, massive explosion split the earth apart.
Buildings collapsed. Roads cracked open. Rocks shot into the sky like meteor showers, while dense dust covered everything and blocked the moonlight.
After some time, once part of the dust cleared away, Ren stood atop a mountain of rubble.
Tanjiro was still in one hand, while Eri clung tightly to his back.
Ren frowned deeply as he looked around.
"One hundred… three hundred… no, over a thousand demons… and dozens capable of advanced Blood Demon Arts…" he muttered quietly.
He released Tanjiro, who immediately stood there with a pale face filled with shock and absolute horror.
They were surrounded.
In every direction, on every rooftop, between every ruined alleyway…
Demons stood everywhere.
Glowing eyes in the darkness.
Claws dripping blood.
Hungry smiles.
And the smell…
It was the scent of pure death.
An entire town—every resident had either become part of a demon army or food for them. Blood coated the walls and streets like horrifying paint.
"Damn it… hey, are you okay?! Don't die here!"
Tanjiro heard a familiar shout.
Turning toward the scent through the dust, he saw Inosuke yelling with genuine concern while trying to drag Zenitsu, whose lower body was trapped beneath heavy wooden debris.
Tanjiro rushed over in panic to help.
"AAAAAH! My back! My legs! I'm gonna die! I'm definitely dying here!" Zenitsu screamed while crying rivers of tears. "I didn't even say goodbye to Nezuko-chan! I want to see her before I die! I want to marry at least one girl—any girl—before my bones get crushed!"
"Quit whining, coward, and help me move this wood!" Inosuke growled while lifting the debris with bulging muscles.
Ren glanced toward them and nodded slightly.
He could no longer sense Kaigaku's aura, meaning Zenitsu and Inosuke had succeeded in killing him.
But that raised another question:
Where were Gyomei and Tomioka? Had they been separated from the others during the castle collapse?
The dust finally cleared completely.
Moonlight illuminated the area clearly, revealing a stage of carnage.
A thousand demons surrounded them like an ocean of nightmares.
And opposite them stood Muzan in his monstrous form:
Long white hair.
Arms filled with sharp mouths.
Flesh whips twisting behind him.
He stared at Ren with a mocking, triumphant smile.
But Ren only smirked back and spoke loud enough for Muzan to hear:
"You seem proud of your pathetic army. Looks like you forgot you lost your strongest fighters and Upper Moons… unlike me."
The moment he finished speaking, the dust behind Ren completely dispersed.
And there—
Like war demons born from hell itself—
The Hashira finally gathered together!
Ten overwhelmingly powerful Hashira stood side by side.
Ten users of the Demon Slayer Mark at its absolute peak.
And on top of that…
Ren grinned widely as every Hashira simultaneously pulled out small bottles containing healing potions and drank them in one motion.
Within seconds, their deep wounds closed.
Bleeding stopped.
Torn muscles regenerated.
Their energy returned to its most terrifying peak.
Their combined auras formed a wall of spiritual pressure so overwhelming that nearby demons instinctively stepped back in fear.
Seeing this, Muzan narrowed his eyes sharply, his mocking smile fading away.
"So… let's begin the flashiest show in history!" Uzui Tengen declared confidently after fully recovering. "I fought a deadly battle against that bastard Gyutaro, and luckily gloomy Tomioka backed me up. Thanks to Ren cutting off his annoying sister's head first, we sent him to hell pretty easily!"
Behind the Hashira stood Yushiro and Tamayo, both wearing grave expressions.
"So… we were too late," Tamayo whispered painfully as she looked at the corpses and blood. "He transformed the entire town."
Yushiro lowered his head apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Lady Tamayo… I couldn't resist Muzan once he regained control over Nakime. Killing her immediately was the best I could do, but he had already completed the technique."
Nearby stood Hakuji, staring at Muzan with a terrifying expression. Veins bulged across his face from rage and disgust.
If he didn't fully understand the enormous gap between his current human strength and Muzan's power, he would have already rushed forward to smash Muzan's face apart.
Further behind, Sakurai knelt beside the unconscious, blood-covered Zenitsuchiro, shaking him violently while tears poured endlessly from his eyes.
"Zenitsuchiro… Zenitsuchiro! Wake up, damn it! This isn't the time to sleep! Please open your eyes!" he shouted loudly, while the injured Zenitsuchiro trembled and muttered:
"Let this end already… I swear I'll kill you myself, Sakurai…"
Nearby, Tanjiro and Inosuke supported Zenitsu on their shoulders.
Inosuke laughed wildly with excitement for battle, while Tanjiro worried over his friends even as his eyes remained locked onto Muzan like a hawk.
"I trained and suffered unbearable hell under Ren-senpai… I lost my family… Nezuko suffered… all for this moment… to kill you, Muzan!"
At that moment, Kanao lightly appeared from behind and approached Tanjiro.
"Tanjiro… are you alright?" she asked softly, concern hidden in her voice.
Tanjiro nodded with a warm smile despite the situation.
"I'm okay, Kanao. What about you? Were you hurt fighting Upper Moon Two?"
Kanao smiled faintly.
"I'm fine… Ren-san carried most of the burden for us."
Everyone raised their weapons with deadly seriousness, waiting for the true final battle to begin.
"Look at them… they look delicious!" one massive demon shouted while drool dripped from his mouth.
"There are over a thousand of us! They're just a handful of humans! Muzan-sama is watching us! Whoever eats a Hashira will receive more blood!" another demon shouted, causing the demonic army to erupt in bloodthirsty cheers.
"Heh… looks like these insects think we're easy prey," Sanemi said with a savage grin while running his finger across his blade.
"I'll burn every single one of them until not even ashes remain!" Rengoku declared with his usual blazing smile.
After a tense period of silence and anticipation…
Ren sighed in obvious annoyance.
He raised a hand and ran his fingers through his hair before speaking calmly with a mocking smile full of pity:
"Your mistake, Muzan… was thinking for even a moment that I'd fight your army 'normally.'"
And the instant Ren said that…
Everything changed.
[Special Skill: Template Gears – Yoriichi Template Deactivated]
[Activating Template: Gojo Satoru!]
In a single instant, the aura of Sun Breathing vanished.
Ren's appearance transformed completely before everyone's shocked eyes.
His black hair turned snow white, glowing beneath the moonlight.
His eyes became brilliantly luminous blue like an endless sky.
The [Six Eyes] had awakened.
The air around him no longer felt like mere spiritual pressure.
It was as though space itself had begun distorting.
An infinitely dense cursed energy compressed around him so heavily that gravity itself seemed to warp.
Hashira and demons alike instinctively stepped backward, overwhelmed by primal fear.
"I've been storing and compressing cursed energy since the battle inside the castle began… specifically for this moment," Ren said calmly, his voice carrying a terrifying echo. "So let's erase your annoying little army first… then we can focus on you."
Ren slowly raised his right hand forward.
Tanjiro, who had partially activated the Transparent World, witnessed something impossible:
A glowing red sphere (Reversal) formed on one side…
And a dark blue sphere (Attraction) formed on the other.
Ren smoothly pressed his middle finger and ring finger together.
The red and blue merged.
A tiny point of compressed purple darkness was born, devouring the surrounding light itself.
The horrifying aura finally caused Muzan to display confusion and shock for the first time.
He couldn't understand the nature of the attack.
But his instincts screamed death into his mind.
He immediately prepared for the worst, summoning his flesh whips defensively.
Ren turned his icy gaze toward the frozen demon army and smiled with arrogance worthy of the strongest sorcerer.
"A thousand demons? …You'd need a billion more before you could even think of defeating me."
"Imaginary Technique… Hollow Purple."
Ren fired the purple sphere.
There was no ordinary explosion.
There was only erasure.
A gigantic purple beam, dozens of meters wide, surged forward like the wrath of a dragon, tearing through space, earth, and air itself.
The beam swallowed the army of a thousand demons within a fraction of a second.
Their screams, bodies, and Blood Demon Arts were all erased into absolute nothingness.
All that remained behind was a massive empty trench stretching toward the horizon…
And Muzan, standing at the edge of the abyss in utter shock.